The
"American Wisdom Series"
presents
Pamphlet #5101 KC1Peter2
It
is unfortunate that traditional Christianity does not teach about the first
earth age that existed back when Satan rebelled.
Are you ready to learn some fascinating things from God's
Word through old lovable Peter?
Peter knew the scriptures well and often draws from the
Divine dealings recorded in the Old Testament.
Remember how he stood up on Pentecost Day and quoted the
prophet Joel?
So we are going to lay some foundation in this study,
going all the way back to the beginning of time, to bring us up to speed
with some of the basics which Peter will talk about later on.
Let's begin.
1 Peter
1:1
Peter, an apostle
of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia,
Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
Peter was an "apostle" which in Greek is apostolos
and it means one who is "sent forth", i.e. an ambassador.
And not only was Peter sent forth to the early church,
but even to this day he has been sent forth unto us to bring forth the
teachings of the One with whom he walked side by side and received His
personal instructions.
It is extremely important that we
notice to whom this letter is written, because it is addressed to the "strangers"
who are scattered or dispersed, even the Lost Tribes of the House of Israel.
James in his book would also address the "scattered" tribes:
James
1:1 "James, a servant of God and of the Lord
Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting."
Also, the word "strangers"
is an interesting and appropriate word used here because if you will take
the time to look it up in Strong's Concordance you will discover that it
means "pilgrims" and is translated as such in the next chapter in verse
11. "Pilgrims" makes
one think of the sojourners to America and rightfully so, for they continued
the migration to the west of the House of Israel to receive the promises
made to their father Abraham to inherit the most resourceful and blessed
piece of real estate on earth, which lies from sea to shining sea!
That's right, the Lost Tribes of the House of Israel are
not really lost at all.
It's just that you have to be familiar with the Word of
God to know who they are and where they are instead of listening to the
traditions of men who would have everyone who is not called a Jew believing
they are gentiles. What a bunch of malarkey.
We don't have a very clear definition of the word gentile. Are only
people who are not of Israelite stock, gentiles? or After the dispersion
does the word gentile also include Israelites (the house of Israel and/or
the house of Judah) living in other places outside Judea?
gentile H1471 â?é â?åé
go?y go?y go'ee, go'-ee Apparently from the same root as H1465 (in
the sense of massing); a foreign nation; hence a Gentile; also (figuratively)
a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts: - Gentile, heathen, nation,
people.
gentile G1484 ??????? ethnos eth'-nos Probably from G1486; a
race (as of the same habit), that is, a tribe; specifically a foreign (non-Jewish)
one (usually by implication pagan): - Gentile, heathen, nation, people.
(If you are not familiar with the migrations of the
tribes of Israel, or do not know where the United States and Great Britain
are mentioned in the Bible Log unto Pamphlet
#1064 or Pamphlet
#1020 under Table of Contents "Wisdom" on the this American Wisdom
Series site. It will get you started in the right
direction.)
Peter now continues to identify
more specifically to whom he is writing.
[2]
Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification
of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:
Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
Who are these "elect"
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father?
The word eklektos (elect)
comes from eklegomai (chosen), and
what Peter is saying is that there was a time, long ago, when our Father
"chose" those who deserved to be chosen to
be used by Him whenever and however He so chooses!
Now it is up to you to choose whether
or not to believe and understand it.
It is unfortunate that traditional Christianity does not
teach about the earth age that existed when Satan rebelled and drew a third
of God's children away from our Father (Rev. 12:4).
Oh, they recognize that it happened but seem unable to
connect it with the fact that there was once a cataclysmic event that destroyed
every structure and every living thing on this planet and the entire global
surface was covered with water.
You can read about that destruction in Jeremiah chapter
4.
This is the Lord speaking:
Jeremiah
4:22
For my people
is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they
have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they
have no knowledge.
Look up the word "sottish".
It means "stupid". It is the word our Father
chose to use.
[23]
I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens,
and they had no light.
Yep, this is what it looked like it Genesis 1:2 when
He was finished wiping everything out!
One needs to know and understand the use of the Hebrew
words tohu va bohu, without form and void.
And please note the fact that there was no
light, which is why He would first say in Gen. 1:3
"Let there be light".
There was light during the flood
of Noah, so let's not be ignorant (or sottish)
and try to say this was Noah's flood.
[24]
I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved
lightly.
It was a shaking indeed!
[25]
I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were
fled.
There were men alive during
Noah's flood, weren't there?
But there was NO MAN here.
No birds like a raven or dove either!
[26]
I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities
thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce
anger.
Was there ever a Lost City of Atlantis?
You bet there was and the North and South Poles were plush
with green vegetation, too.
All of it was destroyed, broken down, BY GOD HIMSELF!
Hello, wake up!
Again, the earth wasn't destroyed
when He created it!
He created it beautiful and to be
inhabited in Genesis 1:1.
God Himself even says that He didn't create it in the
condition of Gen. 1:2. Isaiah records His words for us:
Isaiah
45:18
For thus saith
the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and
made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it
to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.
God didn't create the earth void and in a state of
total destruction, which is what the words "without
form and void", tohu va bohu in Hebrew, mean.
But it "became" (see NIV
translation) that way in Genesis 1:2 when our Father knocked this planet
off its true axis, which is why magnetic north and true north are 80 to
90 miles apart depending on the wobble, and slightly out of it's true 360
day orbit around the sun.
Have you ever read the Book of Job?
If so, do you remember after the 37 chapters of traditional
church teaching by Job's buddies (which God said was bunk), that He gave
Job a little lesson in humility and perspective? God described to Job the
creation in Genesis 1:1, not Genesis 1:3, and guess what?
ALL the sons of God, that
would include Job and you and me and all those
who have died in the flesh and have returned back home (Eccles.
12:7), and those who haven't made the trip here
yet, i.e. are waiting to be born in the flesh, SANG FOR JOY
at the beautiful handiwork of God.
They wouldn't have sang for joy at the condition in which
it is described in Genesis 1:2.
They would have said "Yecch!"
Here's the account where God is speaking to Job:
Job
38:4
Where wast thou
when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
If you have understanding then you know where Job
was.
He was amongst those singing for Joy!
[5]
Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched
the line upon it?
[6] Whereupon
are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;
How does this planet hang in space anyway?
Job couldn't answer that question and neither can NASA!
[7]
When the morning stars sang together, and all
the sons of God shouted for joy?
Yep, all of them sang for joy,
including Satan, because this was before iniquity was found in him and
he drew a third of God's sons away from Him.
Your documentation is in Ezekiel 28:15 concerning Satan:
"Thou
wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity
was found in thee."
But after his rebellion, Satan was judged in that "world
that then was", a phrase Peter will use in chapter 3 of his 2nd book, and
sentenced to DIE!
That is why Satan is called "Death" and is referred to
as the "son of perdition", the son who will perish.
Of course God wasn't too happy with the rest of His kids
who sided along with Satan, but rather than judging them and perhaps sentencing
them to die, He postponed judgment until after the Millennium, after His
plan to redeem them, the plan of salvation (which means to salvage), has
been accomplished.
So He destroyed the earth age that was, the age to which
all "Fossils" and "Remains"
belong, and gave us this flesh age to be born of woman, innocent,
without any prior knowledge of the
"world that then was", with an opportunity to decide whether to
love God or follow Satan.
Now you know what happened to the dinosaurs, don't you!
God destroyed them all following Satan's rebellion!
The apostle Paul knew all of this, just like Peter did.
They both speak of the time before the "foundation
of this earth age" so matter of factly that it makes you wonder
why everyone doesn't talk or teach about it.
Here's Paul talking about the same "elect"
or "chosen":
Ephes.
1:4-5
According as
he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him in love:
Were God's elect chosen at
birth?
No!
They were
chosen before the foundation of the world,
a long time before they would be born in the flesh.
[5]
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
If you have a Companion Bible you should read appendix
146 concerning the "foundation of the world"
and you will see documented that it really means before the casting down,
or overthrow, i.e. the time of the destruction following Satan's rebellion.
So we see that God predestinated His elect to be used
"according
to the good pleasure of His will", i.e. however He so chooses.
Our Father knew us all, long before
we were born of woman to temporarily dwell in a flesh tabernacle,
which we call our body.
He knew Jeremiah before he was born:
Jeremiah
1:5
Before I
formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth
out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the
nations.
He knew Jacob and Esau before they were born.
That is how He could say in Romans
9:13 "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated" even before they
were yet born.
Yes, He knew us all long before we were born.
But guess what?
We've left out the best part!
We know that Satan drew 1/3 of God's sons away from Him,
but there were some who stood and fought against the dragon [Satan] and
made our Father proud of them.
They exercised their "free will"
then,
(in the first earth age) and
chose to love God and not Satan, and so God has chosen them and predestined
them to be a part of His plan in this earth age.
He has used them all down through history until even now.
And you know what else?
He chose the last ones, the elect who would be present
during the final generation, first!
Now you know the more in-depth meaning to Christ's words
that the first shall be last; and the last first.
So no altar call is necessary
for God's elect, His chosen, because when He's ready to use them He'll
let them know.
He might knock them off their horses (Paul)
or have them swallowed by a big fish (Jonah)
or just call them away from fishing (Peter,
Andrew, James, and John) if they are the type who
haven't let their "free will" run riot, like
some He has to rescue from themselves first.
If you understand any of that which
we are talking about, then you can fill in your own experience.
So it is God's elect to whom Peter addressed this marvelous
epistle.
Read Romans 8:29-39 and discover that they were not only
chosen and predestinated, but "them He also justified".
Are you one of God's elect?
If so, this Book of Peter is addressed
to you!
To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits;
to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, you accomplish both.
1 Corinthians
10:11 Now all these things happened unto them {the
ancient Israelites} for
ensamples, and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends
of the world are come.
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